Top IP dealmakers named; BlackBerry patent sale soon; In defence of Michelle Lee; Toyota nets Lyft portfolio; IAM parent acquires Docket Navigator; plus much more
Everything we covered on IAM over the last seven days – and all you need to know from the global IP market to set yourself up for the start of another busy week
The Long Read
Grounded at home and facing an uncertain transactions environment, IP business leaders still found ample opportunities to make innovative deals during the covid pandemic. We name the individuals sitting in places 40 down to 11 in this year's IAM Market Makers ranking. Read more here
MONDAY 23 August
Woven Planet, the subsidiary leading Toyota’s self-driving push, acquires a raft of global patent assets from ride-hailing app Lyft. Read more here
An ITC judge has found that Google infringed five Sonos patents, but public interest arguments and a workaround could render any import ban the speaker company secures toothless. Read more here
TUESDAY 24 August
Maxell has sued Vizio for infringement of seven US patents, including some obtained just three months ago in a transaction with Chinese TV maker Hisense. Read more here
District of Delaware court decision clears the way for AbbVie to repeat Humira patent thicketing strategy and to generate billions of dollars in Imbruvica sales well into the next decade. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 25 August
IAM’s parent company, Law Business Research, has acquired market-leading US patent litigation data and analytics firm Docket Navigator. Read more here
With quintuple damages for wilful IP violations now available in China, putting alleged patent infringers on notice with a warning letter may well pay dividends - but there are dangers too. Read more here
THURSDAY 26 August
Despite growth in the Chinese patent profession, it is a competitive market for high-quality services and many places remain keen to attract talent. Read more here
Pfizer’s $2.3 billion acquisition of cutting-edge immuno-therapy inventions is the most recent development in the booming oncology IP market. Read more here
Former acting deputy director of the USPTO, Coke Stewart, comes to the defence of “brilliant” Michelle Lee, the much-criticised director of the agency between 2015 and 2017. Read more here
FRIDAY 27 August
JinKo Solar, the world’s second-biggest solar panel manufacturer, says it has largely neutralised the threat from a global patent battle that has engulfed several top Chinese firms. Read more here
The FDA has approved the US’s first interchangeable biosimilar. The launch of more such drugs in the coming years will fundamentally alter the biosimilar patent playbook. Read more here
Nine months after IAM first broke the story of a potential sale of BlackBerry’s patent portfolio, the deal to get it done may now be entering its endgame. Read more here
SATURDAY 28 August
Industry insiders are increasingly concerned about how things are going to play out in the realm of connectivity standards setting - and rightly so. Read more here
